A Beautiful Lie
by ForeverSubdued
Summary: Two friends move in together after years of inseparability. See how their lives take an odd turn as some very shocking news turns their world upside down.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**-**

As Ashleigh Gonzaga turned off the engine in his car, his mind wandered back to the days when he was in high school. Although this wasn't a very long time ago, it felt like ages since he'd been sitting in his marked up desk. For some strange reason, he missed being in a class full of his idiotic friends. He missed being yelled at by his teacher for not completing his homework. He missed the feeling of security. Now, after successfully passing all of his courses in college, he and his best friend, Brigette, had moved in together. They had spent all 4 years of high school and college together. They were practically inseparable. What could have been better?

While Brigette Oliver sat in her graduation present, she pondered on what she was going to do with the rest of her life. She knew she wouldn't be able to live with her best friend for the rest of her years. She needed a career, a man, a family. And now was the right time for all of that. She wanted nothing more than to come home from work and have her husband and children greet her with happy smiles everyday. She'd give anything for it. But for now she'd be happy enough with her best friend.

The two friends both got out of their cars and walked over to each other. Brigette had parked her car in the garage, wanting to keep it safe from anyone who wished to steal it. Ash, on the other hand, had parked his new car in the driveway, not really caring who saw it. He waited for her to exit the garage and when they were close enough, Brigette pulled him into a friendly hug. She inhaled a giant breath, consuming the smell of Ash. He always wore the cologne she has bought him for Christmas a few years ago. It really suited him. 'A beautiful smell on a beautiful man' she thought.

"I'm so excited to see what it looks like upstairs!" Brigette exclaimed. Ash nodded in agreement. Their fathers, both vice presidents of a very successful and secretive company, had purchased a fully furnished house for them to live in for as long as they needed. Just like Brigette and Ash, their fathers, Oliver Collin and Thomas Gonzaga, had been good friends since their young ages. They grew up together in a small town, always trying to outdo their peers. This eventually landed them both spots as VP's in a highly prosperous company.

After they had made their way up the short flight of stairs, Brigette withheld a large gasp. Although the space was very small and cramped, she thought it was beautiful. Ash looked over to look at his friend. He sensed she liked it and smiled at her. She looked back at him and returned the smile.

After a few minutes of looking around, they decided to sit on the couch and talk. "I really like this place" Brigette said. "You haven't said anything about it yet, how do you like it?" he asked curiously. Ash playfully looked around, a disguised look spread across his face, "Well…" He looked at Brigette to make it seem like he really hated it. She held her breath until he said what she wanted to hear. "I like it!" Ash affirmed. "Eee!!" Brigette squealed. Just after she had calmed down, she heard a knock on their front door. "Who could that be?" Brigette thought aloud. "I'll go check who it is" and with that she walked dow to the front door.

"Well hello there little missy" Oliver said cheerfully. Brigette beamed, walking over to give her father a hug. "Ahem" the other man coughed. "Oh, don't think I didn't see you there Thomas" Brigette said, wagging a finger at the old man. He smiled and opened his arms for a hug. She eagerly hugged him back and stepped back to look at them. "You two have gotten younger, I can tell" she laughed. She held up a finger as if to say 'hold on a moment' and opened the front door to call Ash down. "Ash! There are some people you might want to come down and say hi to".

When he opened the door, he saw Brigette talking to her father and his own father staring impatiently at him. "Well it took you long enough. I thought you hadn't heard her" Thomas chuckled. Ash gave him a small smile and gave his father a hug. "Nice to see you too dad" he said, still embracing his father. When he stepped back he saw Brigette and Oliver both smiling at them. "Well how about we go in for a cup or tea or something" Brigette said, clapping her hands together. When the other men nodded in agreement she jogged up the stairs towards the kitchen.

When they were all settled into a chair, they all started conversing. Brigette, meanwhile, was standing with her hands on her hips, waiting for someone to tell her what they'd like. "As much as I'd love to stand here and wait for you all day, I want to know what to make for you today" she said sarcastically. Ash looked up from the table and smiled at her. She always knew how to get people's attention, maybe not always in the best way, though.

They had no time to respond, though, because there was a familiar knock on the door. Brigette rubbed her neck, exhausted from all the running up and down the stairs. "I'll get it" she sighed, figuring they'd take awhile to get their minds made up. After she had taken her time walking down the stairs, she was surprised to see a very familiar woman standing in front of her.

"Well it took you long enough Oliver!" the woman said, stretching. "Blaze? What are you doing here?" Brigette asked. The woman named Blaze looked hurt. "What, no friendly hug hello?" she said. Brigette smiled and leaned in to give her old friend a hug. She stepped outside more and faced Blaze properly. She hadn't aged very much since the last time she had seen her. She still had those bright glowing blue eyes and charcoal black hair. She had gotten a lot skinnier, but that's what happens when you're the most popular girl in school trying to get with all the guys.

"So are you gonna tell me what you're doing here or not?" Brigette asked cheerfully. "I live next door silly!" Blaze replied pointing to her house. "I just came by to say hello" she concluded. "Why don't you come upstairs and say hi to Ash's dad and mine, they got here not too long ago" Brigette asked. The smile on Blaze's face was enough, so Brigette opened the door and signalled for her to proceed into the house.

"Look who's come for a little visit" Brigette said as they were at the top of the stairs. As they walking into view, everyone at the table stood up to greet Blaze. "Thomas! Collin! Long time no see" she screeched, leaning in to give Collin a hug, then Thomas. "What have you been up to young lady?" asked Collin. Although Blaze had spent a lot of her days at Brigette or Ash's house, she mainly stayed over at Brigette's home. Her dad was always so happy and brought her whatever she wanted. He was like a second father to her. "Well, after college…" she started, explaining what had been happening over the last couple of months.

As they all sat intently listening to her story, Blaze looked at the clock and gasped. "Oh my gosh! It's getting late, I need to get back to Brent, he'll be wondering where I am". As she got up, Brigette stood up with her. She walked Blaze over to the top of the staircase. "Well, we can talk more later" she said leaning in to give her a hug goodbye. "Keep yourself out of trouble" a voice said from behind. "Oh you know I will Coll" she replied to Collin, giving him her brightest smile. As they all waved to her, she descended down the stairs.

Half an hour of standing talking to their fathers was getting to Ash and Brigette's legs. There was nothing interesting on TV, but Collin was intent on finding something. Suddenly, a loud snapping noise was heard coming from the TV and the screen went black, smoke billowing up from behind it. "Now look what you've done! You broke their television before they even got to enjoy it!" Thomas nagged. Collin looked down at his lap, and then turned around to face the children. "I'm so sorry you guys! I never knew the TV Thomas bought for you would be of such poor quality" he said smirking at Thomas, who sat there amazed at his words. "You old fart! Stop trying to put the blame on me! You..." He was cut off by Ash. "Guys! Enough! It doesn't matter who bought it or who broke it. We don't watch much TV anyways, so it's alright."

"Sorry son, I just don't like being accused of things I didn't do" Thomas said. "Anyways," he continued after a short but uncomfortable silence, "it's getting pretty dark out, and I don't like driving too late now that my sight it leaving me. We can talk after our business trip." "What business trip?" Brigette and Ash said in unison. "Oh I didn't tell you? See my minds failing me too. Well, Collin and I are heading down to New York for a month-long business trip. We won't be able to keep in touch, so all talk will have to be saved for after the trip."

Thomas hastily got out of his seat and Collin followed. They walked over to the stairs while Ash and Brigette followed. "Well, in that case, have a good trip you two!" Ash said hugging his father. Brigette did the same and smiled to the elderly men. As they waved goodbye they disappeared down the stairs. Yawning, Brigette stated "It really is getting late, think I'll head for bed!" Ash was shocked. "But the night has only just begun!" he laughed. "Well then you can stay up, I'm pooped!" Ash laughed a bit and patted her on the shoulder, "you get some sleep then, I won't bother staying up either then." She smiled and nodded, walking into her room. He stepped into his room and got changed.

A few hours had passed since Brigette had entered her room, but she couldn't fall asleep. She decided it might help if she read a good book. This was a book from her high school days called Gossip Girls. Even though this was a teen book, she still loved reading them. She liked the idea that in their own world, everyone had the hottest boyfriends, the hottest cars and the prettiest faces. It was every high school girl's fantasy. Although she had lived parts of it, she had always longed for the perfect guy to come and sweep her off her feet. She wanted a high school love, someone who would eventually ask her to be his one day. _Oh well, you can't have everything_, she thought.

Meanwhile, Ash was up, going to get a drink. Before he could reach the fridge, though, the phone rang. He sprinted towards it, not wanting to wake Brigette. When he picked up the phone, he didn't even have time to greet the person with a 'hello', they immediately started talking.

The voice was deep and muffled, barely audible. "Tomorrow a woman will greet you with more news". With that, the mysterious person hung up. Ash was confused. He didn't know what to think of that phone call. Who was this woman that was going to greet him with more news? And what was this news in the first place? He decided not to bother Brigette, so he went back to sleep, not really in the mood for a drink.

The next morning Ash woke up bright and early. After he got dressed, he walked out of his room, not surprised Brigette wasn't already up. He opened the fridge and studied its' contents. He decided to make some omelettes. As he heated them up in a frying pan, he didn't notice she had awoken. After putting the omelettes onto a plate he turned around to see Brigette facing him, smiling.

"Good morning" she said. "Oh, hello, I didn't hear your door open. I hope you're in the mood for omelettes!" Ash said cheerfully. She walked over to the counter to grab her plate of omelettes, and sat down at the table with Ash.

While they ate, Ash told Brigette about the mysterious phone call. "That's a little creepy" Brigette said. "Don't think too much about it though, it was probably just some punk kids trying to scare you." After they talked for a bit more, Ash cleared the table. Only moments later, there was a light knocking on the door. He quickly walked down the stairs and opened it.

To his surprise, a lady who looked like a fortune teller stood before him. "Hello?" he asked. She was too busy looking into her crystal ball to return his greeting. "Hello who…" he tried again, but was cut off by her sudden mumbling. "Yes hello boy, my name is Jewel Anderson and I am here to tell you something." He was surprised the person on the phone was correct. He would be greeted by a woman wanting to tell him something. But what did this Jewel Anderson want to tell him? "All in good time boy" she said suddenly, as if she read his mind.

"I don't…" Again he was cut off by this woman. "I know you don't understand, dear. But you will… you will eventually understand what you and your sister were meant to do. Both you and Brigette will." Sister? He was an only child, he didn't have a sister, and neither did Brigette. The old woman continued, "Within a week, you will be greeted by two of whom you will not recognize, but will come to know very well in time. They will tell you things you'd never imagine hearing in your entire life. You won't like it, and in fact, you might even send them away. But you cannot avoid them forever. They are, however, the ones who will change your lives forever."

Ash had had enough. Who was this old woman, to come to his home and tell him of things that she probably had made up? "Listen lady…" "Jewel" she cut in. "Yeah whatever, don't know what the hell you're talking about, but I don't care. I know for a fact that I don't have a sister and neither does Brigette. And how do you know her name anyway? What kind of sick pervert are you?" He stopped, exhausted from letting that all out. This gave her time to respond. "Ash, no need to yell, I'm only trying to help you…" "I'll yell if I damned well want to! This is my house and I will not have some old loon come and tell me her bedtime stories! Now, get off our property! Now!" The old woman didn't look awestruck at all. She simply turned and stalked off down the street, disappearing around the corner.

Ash angrily marched upstairs and sat down on the couch beside a frightened Brigette. She had heard the whole thing from the window, and was shocked at how Ash had reacted. Sure this woman had said a few unnerving things, but he didn't need to freak out on an old lady. As he sat down beside her, he noticed she had probably heard the whole thing, happy he didn't need to explain the whole ordeal. "Wow" was all she uttered. They sat in silence for a few more minutes until she suddenly broke it.

"Do you think she was telling the truth? I mean, if we thought we wouldn't have gotten the visit, and we did, she must know something. She did know our names..." Brigette said. "I don't believe in crap like that. I don't really feel like talking about it now, I'm gonna go lie down for awhile. We can talk later" and he stood up and walked into his room, leaving Brigette alone on the couch.

After about 5 minutes of silently sitting in the living area, Brigette's thoughts were interrupted by the deep voice of a man. He sounded young, but she could tell it wasn't Ash's voice at all. "You're right," he said. "The woman was telling the truth. I will come and visit you in exactly two days, sister. Me and his." She sat there shocked out of her mind. Who was that? Why did he call her sister? She was so utterly confused. Her head was starting to ache; maybe it was because of the voice that was previously talking to her inside her head. She got up and wandered over to the cabinet that stored their medication. She swallowed two Advil's and went into her room to lie down.

The next two days went by quickly and uneventfully. Brigette kept that nights odd voice in her head to herself, she didn't want Ash to get upset anymore than he already had. The day before was spent over at Blaze's house. Afterwards, they drove down to the grocery store to restock their rapidly emptying fridge. While at the grocery store, though, Brigette could feel another strong head ache coming on. She hoped it didn't mean what she thought it meant. But boy, was she was terribly wrong.

"Hurry up, sister. We'll be arriving at your house soon. We have much to talk about, the four of us." As quickly as the voice came, he was gone, leaving a poor Brigette to sort out what to do. Ash turned to see her snarling, hands balled into fists. _What was wrong with her?_ "Brig, you okay?" he asked. This seemed to shake her from her deep thought. She looked up at Ash and stammered, "We need to leave, now." He was startled by her sudden need to leave. He didn't know what had gotten into her. He decided it was best to do as she wanted, and he quickly paid for the items they had picked up. Ash watched as Brigette paced back and forth, hands massaging her head. _She must have a headache,_ he presumed.

As they got into the car, Brigette still hadn't said why she wanted to leave so quickly. "Brig," he started, while awakening the engine. "What's wrong? Do you have a headache or something?" She simply looked over to him and replied, "We need to get home soon. I don't want to keep them waiting." Ash hoped she didn't mean the people the crazy old lady had warned them about two days ago. He didn't know why she believed the hag. She was obviously telling some sort of twisted lie. He hoped.

When they got home, Ash was relieved to see nobody waiting for them. He could tell Brigette was a bit more relieved as well. She helped him carry the groceries into the kitchen but let him put them away himself. He didn't mind though, all he wanted was for her to take an Advil and lie down for a bit, maybe that would help her deliriousness. Once he was finished putting away the last bag of peas, he felt a strange wave of relief mixed with confusion and anger wash over him. The doorbell rang. He stood there for a moment, wondering what it was he was feeling, but didn't have time to think for too long. Brigette had silently gotten up, a little too quickly for his liking, and walked down to greet whoever was at their door.

Once Brigette reached the door, she opened it, already knowing who would be standing on the other side. She didn't, however, think they would be so properly dressed. Before her stood a tall tan man with mid-length burgundy hair, dressed in a fine fitting black suit. The woman to his left had shoulder-length charcoal black hair, and was wearing a flowing grey top with long, flared sleeves, dark blue jean-capris and knee-length boots.

They stood there analyzing each other for a few moments. Brigette didn't know what to say to them. Who were they really? Was this man really her "brother"? She was so confused, and she felt a headache start to form at the back of her head. Suddenly, she felt the urge to call Ash down, hoping he could somehow interrupt this deafening silence. "Ash! Come down here now! There are some people you might want to meet."

"This is going to be a lot harder than I first expected" the woman whispered to the man. He gave her no reply; he just stood there staring at his sister. He already knew it wasn't going to be an easy task, trying to convince total strangers that they were, in fact, related.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**- -**

Ash had heard Brigette call him down, but yet, something made him want to stay right where he was. He was seated at the end of the table, facing the fridge. What had made his head feel like it was about to melt? He had never experienced so much pain, relief and confusion in his life before. Although Ash didn't fully believe what that crazy old fortune teller had told him two days ago, something deep down inside started to think she was telling the truth. That headache had brought so many new feelings into his mind, so many new thoughts. "Bring them upstairs" he called down to Brigette from his seat.

As they all assembled around the table, everything got eerily quite. Ash sat in silence staring that the girl sitting across from his. Meanwhile, Brigette was trying not to stare at the man who sat beside her. She didn't know why Ash hadn't started yelling or freaking out at them. She wanted to wait for Ash to start some sort of conversation between the people, which he soon did. "We've been expecting you" he said, still looking at the black-haired woman.

She was also looking at him, the man that was supposed to be her brother. A small grin spread over her face as she noticed he had the same nose and eyes as her and their mother. She couldn't wait until he came home to meet her. "That was how we wanted it" she replied. Ash could also see the facial similarities they shared, but didn't want to give in to believing she was his sister just yet. "What are your names?" he asked, looking away from the woman to glance at the auburn-haired man.

"My name is Ophelia Salüne, and this is Jackson Domilēs." Ophelia paused for a moment, thinking of how to start this conversation in the best way possible. "You are probably wondering why we're here, and what we want with you." Brigette glanced up to look from Ophelia to Ash, then back down to the tablecloth in front of her. She already knew deep down that these people were here for a very important reason, but she really wanted to know what it was. "Well, I suppose you already know our names, but I'd like to know how? We've never met you before, and we doubt you've ever met us before. How did you come to find out our names?" Ash questioned.

"This is going to be a very long and complicated story, but in the end, I hope you understand." Ophelia started. Neither Ash nor Brigette seemed bothered that they were in for a lengthy story. They really wanted to know why these people were here. "I'll start with telling you how our family came to be, Ash."

"Twenty-five years ago, our mother, Alexandra Salüne gave birth to twins, you and I. You were born exactly 1 minute before me, so you would inherit our family empire. Our father loved us very much, but he spent most of his time with you, the young Prince of Karän." "Prince?" Ash questioned. "Yes, you are the Prince ouf our country, and soon to be king. Well," she continued, "one day, while mom was inside giving me my bath, and dad was at work, you were out playing in the playpen. One minute you were fine and the next…" she paused, holding back tears.

She regained her composure and progressed. "There was a guard standing in front of you, watching you play. He had obviously been watching the house, and waited for mom to leave you to play. He took you, right from under her nose. She looked out the window to see him running out the gates, you in his arms. She ran after him, but he had disappeared." Ophelia looked over to see Brigette was absolutely awestruck. Jackson, meanwhile, sat staring solemnly at the wall. There was no need for him to be scared; they had finally found what they had been looking for. Their siblings.

"Anyways, when father had come home from work, he saw mom crying on the couch with me at her feet. That was when she told him what had happened. He vowed to get you back, but all he got was killed. One day, before my 5th birthday, he was out looking for you, when someone murdered him. We still don't know who it was, but I intent to find out." Ophelia concluded, with a scowl on her face.

Finally, after sitting in silence since they'd arrived, Jackson spoke up. "Now that Ash knows of his family's past, let me explain to Brigette our past." He turned slightly in his chair to face her better.

"Our family is also royalty; we govern the country of Yeareon. Just like Ash, you were dads favourite. He would spend every free minute he had with you. You would one day rule the country, so he wanted to make sure you had everything you needed. I, on the other hand, was closely watched over by mom."

"Well, one day mom and dad both had to go to separate meetings out of the city, so we were left with a nanny. It was such short notice mom had to; she had no one else to call to watch over us. It was late when dad had gotten home, and he came up to check on us. Instead of finding you sleeping soundly in your crib, you were in the arms of a guard, the same one who had taken Ashleigh." Ash cringed at the sound of his full name, he hated it.

"I'm not too sure what happened after dad came face to face with the guard, but I do know that he lost the fight. Mom came home very late, around 2 in the morning and found your crib was empty and dad was gone, but his car was in the driveway, and the nanny had disappeared. She cried for hours, not knowing what happened to you two."

"The entire time, I stood crying in my crib. I knew something bad had happened to you, it was a bond that we had as children. I could sense when you wanted my toy, so I would give it to you. Just like that, I knew you were no longer in the safety of our house. Mom thought the nanny was in with the whole thing, that she was the one who opened the door for the guard. She was right" Jackson concluded.

Brigette was terribly confused. She didn't know how he knew all this information. She had never heard of Karän or Yeareon before. She also didn't know how Jackson had contacted her through her thoughts. "Umm… Jackson? Can you answer a few things for me first." She asked. "Sure" he replied smiling. "Ok, where are those countries? I've never heard of them before in my life! Also, how do you know how all these events happened? And finally,' she said pausing. "How is it that you could contact me through my thoughts?"

"Well, Yeareon is the country where we grew up. The reason you've never heard of it is because it's on a distant, undiscovered, planet called Marpolous." Ophelia cut in, looking from Brigette to Ash "And Karän is the country where we grew up, Ash, and it is situated right beside Yeareon. Being the government in Karän, it was socially obligatory that we bond with the government of Yeareon. This was how Jackson and I met. We had known each other for many years, but only recently discovered that we had living siblings."

Although things were getting a bit clearer, Brigette still wanted to know how they knew all of this information. "But…" she started, but was cut off by Jackson. "Brig, you're very impatient" he said with a smirk. She was astonished. Had he read her mind again? "Actually, it's something I'm not very happy with," he started. "Ever since I was a teenager, I started being able to hear people's thoughts and sometimes even communicate with them. But I was lucky enough to be able to communicate with you, even when I didn't know what you looked like. All I had to do was think about our childhood, I thought about your face as a baby, and it led me into your head."

"But how is that even humanly possible?" Ash asked, bewildered. "It's not human" Ophelia said. "We're not totally human. None of us are. We come from blood that is half human and half Marpo. That is why we blend in so well here on Earth, we look like everyone else." "So you're saying that Ash and I can communicate in our heads too?" Brigette asked. "That's correct. But you have to be trained for it to work properly. See, everyone on our planet is either full Marpo or half human half Marpo. They were either born with the gift, or they had to learn it. If you saw anyone on our home planet, you wouldn't recognize them as anything human. Their skin is sometimes very pale, or a light blueish tone. Also, no one has brown eyes, only the royals do. It's how we're distinguishable between the common people. Theirs come in a range of very bright colours."

Brigette was astonished that there were actually people who looked like that. Sort of like the aliens she would read of in her story books as a child.

"Now that all that is cleared up, you still have yet to explain how you got a hold of this information" Ash said, his patience starting to wear thin. "After a few months of constant searching, we found the guard who had taken you, thanks to our high connections" Jackson said, a smug smile taking over his lips. "He has connections with some men who are very popular here on Earth. He was paid to take you two and bring you down to their place of business. We're still not sure why though."

"So you're saying some men hired him to abduct us?" Ash asked. "Yes. He confessed to the whole thing just a few days ago, before telling us where we could find you" Jackson stated. "I shouldn't have said he was a guard though, it was merely a disguise given to him by his bosses. He was a hit man in his earlier days, so he was very experienced with the crime scene." "But who were these men? You say they are highly respected here." Ash enquired.

Ophelia looked from Ash to Jackson, wondering if she should tell them then and there who their abductors were. He nodded solemnly and she cleared her throat, turning her head to face her brother again. "The men who took you are Oliver Collin and Thomas Gonzaga. They have been pretending to be your real fathers for the past 23 years of your life."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**- - - **

Ash sat there, staring blankly at the spot where Ophelia had been sitting only moments ago. Did he hear her properly? Did she really just tell them that their fathers really weren't… their fathers? That was impossible. They had grown up with these wonderful men, who had given them anything they had ever wished for. They even had mothers, who had unfortunately died suddenly when they were teenagers. This must have been a lie. They must have had the wrong people. How could Oliver Collin and Thomas Gonzaga be the criminals they spoke of? There were so many questions, but they weren't going to get any answers. Not right away at least.

Ophelia could tell Ash and Brigette needed some time to consume all of this information so she left them. All alone, without the answers they so desperately wanted to hear. She had stood up and slightly motioned for Jackson to get up with her. "I think now is the time for us to leave you two. You can think about what we have told you, believe it or not. We would like for you to meet our parents though," Ophelia had started. "We'll be back in two days to pick you guys up," Jackson then finished, smiling at his obviously confused sister. They didn't wait for any kind of response, they just left, leaving Ash and Brigette to reflect over the news they had just been given.

By now it was early in the morning, around 7 o'clock. Brigette and Ash sat unwaveringly on their seats, unable to move. The power of the words uttered just a few moments ago stood heavily over their heads. Brigette couldn't, or wouldn't, believe that her father was not really the man he said he was. He would never be so evil as to steal her from her birth parents. Ash's thoughts matched hers exactly. Both of those men were the nicest men they had ever met. But something wasn't right. Someone was lying to them, either Mr. Collin and Mr. Gonzaga, or Ophelia and Jackson. The things that Ophelia had told them about their past lives seemed to fill the void in their memories from their childhood. The fact alone that Jackson could communicate with Brigette through her thoughts was something that made everything they said seem more true.

Brigette couldn't stand the deathly silence for a moment longer. She wanted answers. She needed answers. "Ash, do you think…?" "I don't know what to think right now Brig," he said soberly. He stared blankly at the white tablecloth. He was feeling so many different emotions right at that moment that his face didn't know which emotion to portray. He was angry because he didn't like hearing that Thomas wasn't really his father. He was also angry because he didn't now if Ophelia and Jackson were telling them the truth. On the other hand, he was happy to hear that he possibly had family somewhere out there. He was, for some reason, happy to hear that his family was actually looking for him, even though he wasn't one hundred percent sure he wanted to believe it. Ash was also very sad to hear that if this was all true, his father died just looking for him. All in all, he was extremely confused.

Ash wanted answers just as much as Brigette, maybe more, so he decided to search the internet for any answers to their never ending questions. Did a planet called Marpolous truly exist? Well he was about to find out. He logged on to the computer and searched "Marpolous" on Google. A few seconds later a blank screen greeted him. This wasn't very good. On the other hand, maybe it was. If he couldn't find anything about Marpolous then maybe it didn't really exist, so then that would mean those strangers weren't really speaking the truth. But something deep down inside of him wanted to rest assured that Ophelia and Jackson were not lying. That part of him wanted Ash to believe them. Just to make sure, he searched Yearon and Karän as well. After a futile search, Ash turned off the computer.

He turned around to find Brigette no where to be seen. He looked out the window in his room to find Brig lying on the grass, staring up at the sun. Ash walked out to join her. Without saying a word, he sat down beside her and stared up at the sun as well. Soon, he spoke the first words. "Remember back in the day when we used to do this in your backyard?" he asked Brigette. She smiled, remembering the days when they used to lay around in her backyard for hours and hours, "Yeah." They chatted for a few minutes about the past until a touchy subject for the both of them arose. "Remember when our moms would drive us down to the beach every Sunday afternoon? That was nice, I really miss them…" Ash trailed off. Brigette sat up and looked over at Ash. "Yeah I remember, but I don't really feel like talking about our mom's right at the moment. For all we know, they might not really be our mothers anyway." She got up and started walking towards the back door saying "I'm going up to lie down and watch some TV."

About ten minutes later Ash had about enough of lying on the grass alone. He went up to his room to read a book. On his way, he passed Brigette who was out like a light on the couch. He turned off the TV so she could get a better rest. They had gone through quite a bit in the past few hours. She deserved a good night sleep. He headed into his room, grabbed his book and sat down on the edge of his bed. As he began to lay down, he flipped the book open with his free hand, coincidently opening on the last page he had been reading.

'I must have fallen sleep last night,' Brigette thought to herself as she climbed out of her warm bed. She did not remember getting up off the couch, changing into her pyjamas and going to bed. 'I must have been really tired after the past evenings events,' she assured herself. It was around 12 in the afternoon, two days after Jackson and Ophelia had last been at their house. "Two days!" Brigette said aloud. She walked over to her bathroom and hopped into the shower to get ready for them to come and pick her and Ash up to go meet their mothers.

After a long, hot shower Brigette changed into some nice clothes and made her hair into a semi up-do. It was now around 1 o'clock and she didn't hear Ash moving about. She wandered over to his door and peeked inside, only to find him curled up under his covers. She hovered above his slumberous body and silently cleared her throat. "Ash!" she yelled. His body squirmed about at the sound of his name, eyes violently fluttering open. For a moment Ash stared up at Brigette, who still stood over him, a grin on her face. "Why hello there Mr. sleepy head," Brigette said gleefully. As Ash climbed out of bed, he managed a slight grunt and a wave. Finally, after a long stretch, he stood upright in front of Brigette and asked, "Why are you so happy little Miss wake-me-up-when-I-want-to-sleep-in?" Brigette simply turned on her heel and walked out of the room. "What?" Ash asked after she had closed the door. "Hurry up and get dressed, Jackson and Ophelia will be here any time now!"

"Why do you want me to get ready for that? I'm not planning on going anywhere with them," Ash firmly stated. "Ash, I don't care if you want to go or not! I want to see if they were telling us the truth. And besides, it won't kill you to get out of the house for once," Brigette retorted. 'Who knows what or who could kill me if I went outside of the house with them,' Ash thought. Either way he felt, he knew he had already lost a battle he never knew he was in. He gave in and took a quick shower and got changed.

After Ash had changed into some clean clothes he heard the faint sound of Brigette talking. He wondered to whom she was speaking with. When Ash stepped out of his room, he was surprised to find Ophelia and Jackson and a white-haired woman already there and waiting for him. 'They must have arrived while I was in the shower,' Ash thought, but who was this other woman? Brigette looked over to find Ash staring blankly at their guests so she coughed to get somebody's attention. When Ophelia realized he was there, she stood up. "Now that everyone is present, I think it's time for the introductions." Holding a hand out, she helped the woman off the couch.

During this time, Ash had time to study the woman. She looked elderly because of her snow white hair, but had extremely youthful features. She had walked over, now standing face to face with Ash. "Ash, this is your mother," Ophelia stated from behind them. His mother smiled at him and he hesitantly returned the gesture. "Alexandra" she said, leaning in for a short friendly hug. He didn't withdraw; something inside of him propelled himself into her outstretched arms. Ash didn't know why, but this felt right. It was notable that they looked like each other, almost identical facial features. He could also tell the greatness that she had lived in her life through her eyes. In them were tales of happiness, and lots of sorrow. That was Ash's gift, he could read people, most of the time, and Alexandra was not a bad person at all. He honestly believed she was his birthmother.

"Well now that you have met mom, we can get ourselves out of here and over to Stefania's place," Ophelia said. Brigette could feel herself growing happier and happier as the minutes went by. First Ash met his real mother and now she was about to meet her own. Could the day get any better? They all headed downstairs and Jackson started the engine of the black Austin Martin that was parked in the driveway. "I would have expected a flashier car coming from a royal family," Ash stated sarcastically. "We don't want to make ourselves stand out here on Earth, so we are trying to blend in as much as possible," Ophelia replied, the same sarcasm evident in her tone. They all scrunched into the car and were soon on their way. Ash hoped to god that they were going to be safe going with these people, blood relatives or not.

About half an hour later they arrived at the home of Stefania Domliēs. The house was hidden away in a forest filled with pine trees, which Jackson later informed them was chosen to protect her from Gonzaga, Oliver and their goons. As they climbed out of the vehicle, a woman with the same white coloured hair as Alexandra came walking towards them on the long dirt path leading from the house. As this woman strolled towards them, staring pleasantly into the sky every so often, Brigette paused to analyze her. She had thick, somewhat curly, white hair tied into a messy ponytail with a ribbon. Even at a distance, she resembled Brigette.

As Stefania walked along the path, she looked over all the faces a few feet in front of her. One was her son, Jackson, his friend, Ophelia, her mother, Alexandra, and two people she hadn't laid eyes upon in ages; her daughter, Brigette, and Alexandra's son Ashleigh. She stopped in her tracks the moment she realized how long it had been since she had last been able to see her beautiful daughter. The thought of finally being able to live happily without wondering if her daughter was dead or alive brought a slight tear to her eye. She smiled when she saw Jackson waving at her in the short distance. The group began walking towards her, so she stayed in place, simply smiling from ear to ear.

"Jacky, it's been so long!" she exclaimed after he had leaned in to capture her in a tight embrace. "Mom, please don't call me Jacky, it's so embarrassing," he whispered, looking away from her. Stefania merely laughed at him and turned to wave to Alexandra. "How have you been Alexa? I haven't seen you or Ophelia in months!" While a little conversation broke out among the two women, Brigette took note that her mother was a very friendly person. Hopefully she wouldn't have any trouble getting to know her well.

Brigette had not been paying close attention to the things that Alexa and Stefania were saying, so she missed them speaking of her. Ash, who had been listening to them, coughed loudly to shake Brigette from her day dreaming. "What?" she asked, unsure what she had missed. "Your mother would like to say hi to you," Ash replied looking from Brigette to Stefania. Brigette felt herself begin to blush, embarrassed that she had not been paying attention. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I lost my concentration for a second there," she said, smiling weakly at her mother. "That's no problem dear, it happens to me all the time," Stefania replied. "Now come over here and give me a hug!" Brigette's smile broadened as she stepped into her mother's warm embrace. Oh how long it had been since she had last felt the warmness of a loving embrace. Once the two women pulled away, Stefania escorted everyone into her cozy living room.

"Well now," she started, looking from face to face. "I bet you two have many questions you'd like to ask Alexa and myself." Brigette, who had sat as close to her mother as possible, cheerfully nodded. Ash simply smiled, not knowing what he wanted to ask either of them first. "I think you two could tell them about their lives before they were kidnapped," Ophelia said, looking at Stefania, then to her own mother. The senescent women smiled and Alexandra nodded to Stefania, as if to say 'you first'. "Alright, then I guess I shall go first. You two probably already know of how you were captured, but I want you to know that we loved you two very much. Your fathers would be proud of how much you have grown over these past many years, as are we," she said, glancing over to Alexandra.

"There really isn't much to say though. Since you two were taken at such a young age, life hadn't really started for you yet. Brigette, you were a very happy baby girl. You were constantly smiling and barely ever cried. Your father loved you terribly. He was so devastated when I told him you had been taken. He did all that he could to find you, but in the end, nothing." Stefania looked over to her side, not wanting to let Brigette see tears well up in her eyes. This was when Alexandra came in, not wanting anyone to feel uncomfortable.

"And you, Ash," Alexandra started, "weren't a very quite tyke. You giggled at almost everything, especially Brigette." Ash looked up suddenly and over to his mother. "You mean Brigette and I used to play together as children?" "Why of course dear! You two were practically inseparable! We would get together with Brigette and Stefania once or twice a week for a play date." This made Ash smile. He had known Brigette and himself had always had a strong bond, but thought that was merely only when they were teenagers. Now he knew it was much more than that, it dated back to their childhood days.

After a few hours of reminiscing, it had become dark out. "Well it looks like it's about bed time," Stefania chuckled. Everyone smiled and glanced towards the open window. Darkness surrounded them. "You know," Stefania started, "I think it would be best for all of us to stay in this house for the night. I don't like the idea of finally reuniting with my beautiful daughter, then thrusting her back into the unsafe world." "But mom, what's going to happen to us? I mean, we've been safe for how long now? I doubt anything is going to happen to us," Brigette said. A worried look washed over Stefania's face. "You see Hun, if you do go back to your house I have no doubt in my mind that you, and Ash, will be hurt. See, now that you two know about everything that has happened in your lives, Oliver and Gonzaga will have their goons on a constant lookout for you. They will want you to be eliminated."

"What?! How do you know this?" Ash yelped with a panic stricken voice. "I just happen to know that their goons watch you all the time. It's their job, and if they don't do it, they'll be killed," Alexandra said. "My guess is, they're outside your home, or in the vicinity, and are awaiting your return." Ash assumed his mother knew all this information because she had done her research. He didn't want to take any chances, and he would go insane if Brigette were ever hurt. He decided, for himself and Brigette that they were staying. She didn't seem to mind, the idea of being able to be close to her mother thrilled her.

But then, something struck her. "What am I going to wear? I wasn't planning on staying the night. I have no pj's, no toothbrush, no clothes for tomorrow!" The look on her face made everyone burst out into a fit of laughter. She stopped and looked at everyone, wondering what she had said that was so funny. "Don't worry Brig, I've got plenty of clothes you can wear, I'm pretty sure they'll fit you perfectly. I don't know about the toothbrush, but you can always brush them when you get home tomorrow morning," Ophelia said cheerfully. "And Ash, you can borrow some of my stuff if you want," Jackson offered. Ash smiled and nodded. "Well," Stefania said, rising from her seat," I think I should show you to your rooms now."

"This will be the room the two of you will be sharing for the night," Stefania said to Brigette and Ophelia. The thought of sharing a room with Ophelia wasn't exactly thrilling, but Brigette could manage it. I mean, it's not like she was going to sleep with Ash. After getting the girls settled into their rooms, Stefania made her way to the other spare room which Jackson and Ash would be sharing.

"Boys, this will be your room, I hope it's alright that the two of you have to share, I know it mustn't be the best thing in the world," Stefania said to Ash and Jackson. 'You could say that again' Ash thought, but then regretted it, noticing the look on Jackson's face. He had heard him. His mind reading abilities were not only limited to family, oh no, he could hear everything. He agreed with Ash's comment and shook it off, knowing Ash wasn't trying to be mean.

After getting into their proper attire, everyone settled into bed and fell fast asleep. Pleasant dreams soon filled their heads. All, of course, but one. Brigette tossed and turned so much that night. She barely slept a wink. Scenes of broken doors, bloody floors, pain and suffering consumed her. She had no clue what these things meant, but she was sure she didn't want to know.

When the morning sunshine burst through the windows, a little after 7 in the morning, everyone was stretching their tired, unused limbs. The men were first to get downstairs, standing in the kitchen, waiting for breakfast to be ready. Right as the bowls of cereal were being dished out, the two women walked into the room. Ash noticed how beautiful Brigette looked early in the morning, very few girls could pull this off. He noticed this was his sister. Ophelia's eyes were obviously still full of sleep and she might have put on a bit too much eye make up to conceal that fact. She didn't look half bad, Ash thought, just maybe she could have slept in a bit longer. "Morning guys!" Alexandra said cheerfully. Everyone smiled and walked over to the table to join Stefania who had already finished her bowl of cereal.

"Do you guys have anything planned for today? Any fun filled events happening?" Stefania said chuckling to herself. "No mom, after we eat we're bringing Ash and Brig back to their house. You guys want to join?" Jackson said, directing the question to Stefania and Alexandra. "No I think we'll stay here for the day, watch a few movies, that sorta thing," Alexandra said for the both of them.

Breakfast was soon finished and everyone who wasn't staying got up to head out. Ash, Jackson, Ophelia and Brigette all stood in front of the kitchen doorway. "I guess we'll see you later. We should go out in a few nights," Ophelia stated from beside Jackson. "That would be absolutely wonderful!" exclaimed both of the elderly women. "I'll call you if we need anything," Alexandra said to Ophelia, she nodded in response, even though her mother wasn't facing her. They walked out to the car and were soon on their way.

When the car pulled into the driveway of Ash and Brigette's cottage home, they were not greeted with the familiar surroundings. Ash's black SUV that was usually parked in the driveway was missing and the front door was wide open, slightly broken at the hinges, showing forced entry. Brigette was shocked. Her dream had partly come true. Why though? What else was going to happen? While she pondered this, everyone else got out of the sports car slowly, not knowing if the criminals were still in the vicinity.

Ash and Jackson silently decided to be the ones who would go check things out. Although Brigette was terrified at what she could find, she walked closely behind the men, Ophelia following behind her. The next thing Brigette saw was possibly the most disgusting she had ever laid her eyes upon in her entire life.

At that moment, she knew something had gone terribly wrong. And she had witnessed it the previous night.

Well I hope you liked reading chapter 3! I can't believe it took me so long to get it out! Sowie nn I told myself earlier today "I WILL get this done!" and look what we have, a finished chapter! xD I hope to hear from my readers, comments and feedback are always lovely to hear!

Thanks!


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